Ghost Of Orario
by Randomperson nb2
Summary: Time doesn't heal all wounds. Running away can only take you so far. Somehow, someway, the past will always find you. What really matters, is what you decide to do when it does.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from God Of War or Dungeon Ni Deai**

* * *

As the sun reached its peak, signaling that half of the day's duration had gone by, its rays showered the city bellow. This was no common city, despite its rather ordinary looking houses and small buildings; there was one extremely important thing this city housed that made it unique. Right in its center, there stood a tower that if one were to try and look to its top, it would come as no surprise if the thought that ancient looking construct was able to touch the burning star in the sky occurred. Although the Babel tower surely was an attraction that helped to draw the massive amount of people that roamed the streets, it wasn't the main factor to do so. No, what made the Labyrinth City of Orario known as far as peoples whispers could reach was about what was directly bellow Babel, something linked to Orario's many marvels and mysteries.

 **\\\**

"What was that Arnya?"

"There's a man at the front looking for you, Mia-san." Arnya repeated. "He sounds really impatient too."

"Does he now?"

Mia Grand lowered the barrel of the batch she was checking to see if its contents hadn't soured and glanced at the waitress that stood by the storage room door.

"Did he give you his name?" Mia asked

The cat-girl shook her head, puffing her cheeks afterwards. "He was so mean to me, just ordering me to find you, not even a pretty please. So rude!"

Mia watched with some amusement Arnya's indignant rant. "Then why didn't you say that to him?"

It wouldn't be the first time Arnya's airhead behavior reared its head. Actually, the fact that the girl hadn't complained of the man's supposed poor behavior to his face was quite surprising, a welcome one since it meant one less headache, but still.

Arnya's expression deflated, her furry ears lowering until pressing against the white headband she wore. "Ah, well, it's just that … he's kind of scary."

Mia's lips were pulled into a thin line, skepticism marred in her features. That reaction shouldn't have happened. Her pub have more than its fare share of intimidating folks, hell, Mia was sure that more than half of the town's population have passed the double doors at the entrance. And it was still way too soon for an adventurer to have stopped by. In theory, they should be still working where the sun can't reach.

"I guess then I should go and see what our esteemed customer wants." The pub's owner huffed

Arnya gave a very much cat-like smile. "Please do!"

Mia sighed and before walking out of the room, pinched the waitress cheek. "Cheeky brat."

The pub wasn't nowhere as packed as it is known to be during night hours, having only a few tables occupied by either Orario's native citizens or some traveling merchants. Since it was close to lunch hour, the number of customers was bound to double but even then, it wouldn't be any closer to the Hostess of Fertility nightly clientele's numbers.

"Alright who's the one looking for me?" Mia asked out loud

Some clattering noises followed her sudden question, as most eyes in the pub fell on her. Some of the customers already familiar with Mia Grand's reputation gagged on their beverages and food while others simply looked on curiously as to what was the fuss was all about.

"I am." A gruff and heavy voice replied.

Mia turned just in time to see the man standing up from one of the stools in front of the bar counter.

"So, what's so urgent that you need me fo- oh."

Mia's brash sentence died halfway when the man stood at his full height. Now, Mia Grand, more commonly known as Mama Mia, may be a Dwarf, but she stood at an impressive and certainly terrifying, when needed, five feet and some inches and took full advantage of this fact to keep order around her place. That wasn't a card available now, as the person facing her was at least one head taller than her.

"Now this is what I call a surprise." The brown-haired dwarf said, a small smirk pulling her lips, as she walked inside the counter.

A hood covered most of the man's face, only showing a groomed beard and his steely eyes peering from the shadow casted by the article of clothing. Along with it, he had a cloak draped over his shoulders and covering most of his mid section. Despite all that, it was still possible to see underneath it the man's ashen colored skin.

And there was only one person with those characteristics that have ever walked in Orario.

"I know it's been at least a few years since the last time you were here, so I'm sure you miss my pub and all that, but did you need to treat one of my girls like that?" Mia teased the man

A very dangerous game, but one she enjoyed to partake wholeheartedly in whenever possible.

The man's only answer was a low growl that was certain to cause even wild beasts to back off. On the other hand, to the bar owner, it served as a reason to laugh, something she did without fail.

"What can I do for you?" She asked, wiping away a stray tear.

A strong pale arm rose from within the cloak, his fist hovering over the counter. He opened it, showing his callous fingers, resulting from rigorous and unrelenting training, and dropped a small purse.

"A vacant room."

Mia snatched the purse and calmly rummaged through the money there was saved inside. After having counted the last coin, she placed the purse back where it was.

"I'm afraid you're short on Valis here. This amount would have been enough a few years ago, but since then the price has been raised, so no can do." Grand explained

The cloaked man grunted, though if out of understanding or irritation was unknown, and dropped the bag hanging on his back to the floor. He turned on his heel and stalked to the double doors, leaving both his bags behind.

"He really does as he pleases."Mia sighed, both in amusement and exasperation. "Arnya!"

She had a feeling that the curious girl was listening in to the small talk instead of properly working, and the squeak that followed after calling the cat girl only proved her right.

Arnya meekly came out of the kitchen door, embarrassed for being caught red handed. "Y-yes Mia-san?"

"Take that to one of the rooms upstairs." She jabbed a finger to bag that rested near the counter

The waitress hurried over from her spot to comply, but not before voicing her thoughts. "But he didn't have enough right?"

Mia gave a knowing grin. "True. But you should know well enough that for those that have the means, money can be very easy to obtain in Orario. And differently from Valis, that is something he has covered just fine."

The grin quickly gave place to a strict expression. "Now get your ass back to work!"

 **(…)**

The moment he stepped outside from the establishment, the disparity in lighting made itself known, as the brightness that showered the town irritated his eyes momentarily, even if his hood helped to diminish this occurrence.

He glanced at his surroundings, trying to find the trademark indication to the place he aimed to visit.

"Crap crap crap, I'm sooo late! Ah! Watch out sir! Please move out of the way, si-"

*BAM*

The owner of the squeaky cries hit his side but the impact didn't even budge the man from his place. The man cranked his head to the source of the noise, his mood taking a nosedive due to the unwanted distraction. His glassy eyes blinked in surprise at what he saw.

Or rather, at _whom_ he saw.

A boy with hair as white as his own skin, yet different at the same time. When the boy's pained grimace lessened, softening his features and clearly showing how young he was, and his squinted eyes slowly opened, revealing curious ruby like eyes peering at him.

When the boy fully realized the mountain of a person he had bumped into, he hastily rose from the ground and profusely bowed while walking by the hooded man.

"I am very sorry sir! I got distracted because of my mistakes, so, uh, please don't murder me! I'm already late as it is for the Dungeon!"

Not hearing any angry retort and with the man standing as static as when he was spewing apologies, the white haired boy took it as his cue to leave.

"I-I really have to go! Aw crap, I can't believe I lost half a day's worth of exploring, Kami-sama will give me an earful tonight for sure!"

The man watched as the boy dashed through the crowded and lively streets in the direction that lead to Babel. When the boy's voice had finally stopped reaching his ears, the man looked up at the skies, as if searching for something, before taking a deep breath. A moment passed by and he heaved a sigh.

"You were right." He admitted to the winds, each word rasping to come out

He then walked in Babel's direction.

 **\\\**

 **(Hours later)**

"Haah it's so tiny."

Bell couldn't help but whine as he stared at one of the many magical stones that dropped from the latest mob of Kobolds that he had just destroyed. While he was happy by the quantity of the purple stones, he couldn't help but feel disheartened at the small size of each one of them. It meant that he would have to try to compensate with quantity over quality if he wanted a good sum of Valis by the end of the day.

"Starting out as an adventurer really is rough." The boy sighed

He carefully collected the rest of his reward for slaying the pack of dog headed monsters, putting them in a small purse. After tucking away his means of income, he grabbed the small handle of his dagger that was attached on the back of his waist. Once he felt the tip of the blade out of its sheath, he brought his weapon to eye level.

As Bell observed the dagger's condition under the dim blue light from the small stones embedded in the Dungeon's walls that resembled a cave, his earlier discouragement reared its ugly head again. While his weapon of choice was in a near perfect state, it's simple and basic looks only drove further the point of how much of a novice he really was.

Bell was really thankful to the Guild for providing him with his starter gear, composed of his dagger and chest plate that he currently wore over his everyday clothing. But when you passed by the streets of Orario as much as he did; the ones that overflowed with shops and workshops that had both ornate swords and gear with special attributes in abundance, it was hard to overlook the gap between his equipment and the more ostentatious ones.

The boy's eyes shifted to stare at the way in front of him, staring at the darkness in the distance. He was sure that soon enough, he would be reaching the end of this floor. He was now at the fourth floor, the furthest that he had explored of the Dungeon and despite wanting nothing more than to advance more, he had been warned to not step foot on the fifth floor.

His grip on the handle tightened. He wanted to be strong, and for that he had to face stronger monsters. He wanted to become someone his Kami-sama could he rely on. But perhaps, just as important as helping the one who helped him, he wanted to experience the things his grandfather used to say to him.

For now, the only way that could happen is if he ventured to the fifth floor.

A small smile appeared on the boy's face. One saying his grandfather loved to say surely fitted well right now; nothing ventured, nothing gained.

With new found determination, Bell advanced through the barely lit pathway. Each step purposeful, matching his new look.

 **(…)**

Carefully, Bell peeked around the corner, feeling more eager than nervous. His shoulders slumped as hard as his expectations when he was met with an empty path.

Like he had predicted, after what he assumed to be close to twenty minutes of walking and dealing with some mobs of either Kobolds or Goblins along the way, he reached the fifth floor. What had immediately caught the boy's attention was the overall difference that the floor had. While the previous floors were illuminated by blue stones, the fifth one had green stones, although even with said stones, it was just as poorly illuminated as the others.

Bell found that he liked the small change, it gave him the feeling that he was truly progressing and that from there on, various novel encounters awaited him. Although. his faith on the latter assumption is slowly wavering.

"(sigh) Nothing again. What's going on here?"

A good amount of time had passed since he entered the new floor and yet, oddly enough, not a single monster had popped up from either the walls or ground. He may have only started two weeks ago, but he was fairly certain that having no enemies appear on his way was a rare occurrence, if an occurrence at all.

"So much for there being stronger monsters." He groaned

By now Bell had already lowered his guard and sheathed his dagger. For the boy, the major factor that he associated to the Dungeon was the need to stay vigilant due to the constant assaults from the mobs. However, due to this unexpected breather, he was slowly growing less careful.

But what Bell had no way of knowing because of his lack of experience, is that when the Dungeon gives you any respite, it is just so for you to hit the ground harder when the rug is pulled out from under you.

"HEEEAAAAH!"

The hair on the back of Bell's neck stood on end. He instinctively took a step back while a hand shot for his dagger, his heartbeat increasing by the second. That holler definitely didn't come from another adventurer and no monster that he had faced so far had the lungs necessary to do it.

Now that he was focused, the boy could hear stomping sounds, one interrupting the other, and getting louder each time. Whatever it was, it wasn't alone and would shortly reach him.

"HEEAAHH!" To the boy's horror, he wasn't able to pinpoint from which direction the roar was coming from.

Remaining rooted, his gaze kept darting around looking for any sign of the owners of the frightening roar. The stomping sounds now matched his heartbeat, both in frequency and intensity. Being overwhelmed by the growing tension and anxiety, he chewed his lower lip. He wanted so badly to bolt from there, yet the doubt that in doing so he would commit a deadly mistake won over him.

As Bell fussed over what to do, the repercussion of standing still arrived, quite literally. A large figure suddenly shot forward from the turn on the right ahead of Bell at the end of the pathway and fumbled on its feet until it hit the wall.

Bell's jaw started to tremble along with his legs, his ruby eyes full of terror. He unconsciously let go of the blade's handle, the option of fighting for his life being erased from his mind.

"T-this can't be happening. I thought they only appeared on the Mid Floors."

As the monster dislodged itself from the wall, its appearance became clearer. It was tall, way taller than any of the other monsters he had seen before. It was also pure muscle; even with the reddish fur that covered his body, the boy could still make out its massive bulging muscles. But that wasn't what scared Bell, no those two features were easy to see, many adventurers had them. What filled the boy with fear was the features on its head.

Horns.

Very long and sharp looking horns, one at each side of its head. It had glowing red eyes that could probably be seen even amidst darkness. Its animalistic face, contorted with pure rage while baring its teeth to the world. Bell never wanted more than now to be wrong, but he knew that there was no mistaking it. A cow headed humanoid monster could only be one thing.

A Minotaur. A monster that was sighted only at the fifteen floor. A monster Bell had no hope of facing it. No, he could consider himself lucky if he even managed to put a scratch on that hide. He had no choice, he had to flee. Fortunately, the beast had yet to notice him.

Unfortunately, Bell's loss of focus once again cost him. He was so lost in his terror filled musing that he hadn't noticed that the stomping reverberating throughout the floor hadn't ceased.

Much to Bell's surprise and horror, a second Minotaur appeared in similar fashion to the first one, the two bull beasts bumping into each other. As if two weren't enough, another one showed up.

And another, and another, and another and, finally, another.

Bell's knees almost buckled under his own weight. He had to get out of there as fast as possible. Otherwise he would soon find himself facing a very painful demise. He slowly moved back, keeping his eyes focused on the monsters fighting amongst themselves.

Unfortunately, luck, or rather his lack of it according to his stats, seemed to have other plans. One of the Minotaurs stopped contributing to the scuffle between its kin. Its head perking up as it started sniffing the air. It continued to do so until its snout pointed in Bell's direction.

Bell felt the Minotaur's gaze upon him, scrutinizing him. Its red orbs grew larger, its expression twisted into a scowl as it slowly turned the rest of its body towards the boy. The white-haired boy could see the utter rage leaking off in waves from the beast as it filled its chest with air.

"HEEEAAHHH!" And without wasting a second, it charged towards him.

The shout ended the other beast's fight, their heads snapping towards their kin. Snarls soon followed as they eyed their natural enemy and prepared to rush forward in a manner similar to the first Minotaur.

Bell thought that he was already dead. That was the only possible reason he could come up with for him not managing to move his body as he merely watched as the Minotaur closed in. Its snarling visage growing more menacing with each step it took. Once it was within arm's reach, it cocked its massive fist and aimed it straight at him.

"HEEAAH!" The Minotaur shouted again as he threw his massive arm.

A jolt ran through Bell's body at the monster's roar, as if breaking the spell he was under. Luckily, his agility was high enough to dodge the fatal blow with a roll, though at a hair's breath. Chunks of stone flew all over the place after the monster's fist connected with the ground.

Bell's back hit the ground roughly, but he paid it no mind and hastily crawled away to put as much distance as possible between him and his attacker. The back of his head felt hot, he must have hit it when he clumsily evaded. He was thankful that the rush of adrenaline he was feeling allowed him to ignore any feelings of pain for the moment. He was certain that come tomorrow; his head would surely throb as if he was being struck with a hammer. That is, if he made it out of the Dungeon alive.

Using his hands to support himself, the boy tried to stand up only to nearly lose his balance as he felt lightheaded. He could see out of the corner of his sight the Minotaur approaching him. He looked up and saw its red eyes bearing down at him. Those orbs held no rationality, only the primal urge to kill what lay before it.

Bell watched as the monster raised its hand, readying itself to deal the final blow. When the fist descended, Bell's eyes clamped. This was it! This was the price that he was going to pay for not listening to the various warnings he had been given. He was going to die here alone, without fulfilling his grandfather's words. But worst of all, he would leave his Kami-sama all alone again.

He waited for it, wondering if it would be painful. As the waiting stretched itself through time, Bell's only wish was for it to be quick, not caring anymore if there would be pain.

"Stand up boy." Demanded a rough voice

Bell held his breath. This wasn't the Minotaur. Monsters couldn't talk. Despite his hesitation, he slowly opened his eyes, fearing that he was hearing the voice due to his fear. However, Bell gasped when he saw his savior.

Standing between the boy and the monster was the man he had bumped into by accident earlier in the day. He had one of his arms outstretched, his palm resting against the Minotaur's knuckles as he held back its punch with little effort. He was surprised to see that he wasn't the only one shocked, as the Minotaur stared at the man with what he assumed was an expression of shock and disbelief.

Utterly baffled by the man's feat, Bell voiced his surprise. "Wha- how?... who are yo-?"

"Do not make me repeat myself." The man warned.

The stern tone was incentive enough to make Bell stand on his two feet. The hooded figure's presence was so strong, that even the other monsters stopped their advance. After what they had just witnessed, they chose to cautiously watch the situation unfold before them.

"Get out of here boy." The man ordered. "I will handle this."

Before Bell had the chance to say anything, the Minotaur broke out of its stupor and tried to take shot at the man with its other arm.

"HEEAA-KUH!"

The monster was unable to complete its action, as a fist buried itself into its chest. With the wind knocked out of its lungs, the beast flew back before crashing onto the floor, howling in pain while clutching its injury. Within seconds, its pained howls filled the pathway and echoed throughout the floor of the dungeon.

"W-wow." Bell muttered

"Why are you still here boy?" The man inquired

"Eh? Y-you're going to fight them all?! But how? There's too-"

"That does not concern you." His voice now was clearly irritated. "Focus on getting out here."

Even while dismissing Bell, the man's focus never left the group of Minotaurs that had grown restless from waiting, and had gotten even angrier at the sight of their injured kin.

"I will try and get help for you!" Bell shouted as he turned to leave.

"Don't. I have no need of it." Was the simple reply.

As Bell ran, his curiosity got the better of him and he spared a glance back to the ensuing fight. He looked just in time to see one of the man's hands on his back, disappearing under his cloak. His eyes grew wide the moment he brought the hand back out and within his grasp was an axe. It had a rustic appearance, but as the axe's head reflected the dim green light of its surroundings, several runes began to glow.

At that site, Bell was inclined to believe that the man was far more than he may appear to be.

Multiple shouts followed when Bell focused back to what was ahead of him. All he could do now for his savior was pray for his safety.

* * *

 **A/N: Surprise surprise, a new story. I had no intention of posting another one on the site for now, since I've got my hands full with the ones currently posted, especially Unsung Hero. But this just popped in my mind as I was playing the new God Of War (fantastic game btw) and the idea came to me. From there on, story arcs, plot lines and all that came flooding scaringly easy. I'm actually curious to see how this chapter will fare, since this will be the first crossover story between this fandoms. Anyways, to whoever reads this, I hope the chapter was to your liking and that it gave you some enjoyment. If possible, consider leaving a review so that I can read your thoughts on it.** **Until next time, have a great day.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from God Of War or Dungeon Ni Deai**

* * *

Blood dripped from the sharp end of the man's axe as the body it cut down fell limp to the ground. Barely a second after the mass of muscles touched the uneven ground, its body burst like a balloon, as the flesh and blood turned into black smoke before dissipating in the air. All that remained of the creature was a sizable magic stone.

"Hmph, finally." The man grunted, not caring in the least of the spectacle near him

The sound of the white haired boy footsteps were now only a memory. Only the pained whimpers of the first beast he had struck down and the snappish growls of the remaining Minotaurs composed the ambience of the pathway.

The man observed his enemies. Along with restlessness and anger, the monsters now showed signs of uncertainty. Unlike the first two, they avoided rushing towards him, due to having witnessed the less than favorable result. Their reaction was instinctual; they had ascertained that before them stood a superior existence.

It was also the capability of adapting, as two Minotaurs took a tentative step forward. They then set off in the same tempo, the hesitation gone from their body language. Soon, the rest of the group followed them, though slightly behind the other two. For beasts like them, strength in numbers was their answer.

The man hummed appraisingly; a sound tactic. He cocked his axe back, his two hands on the weapon's handle. Without wasting a moment, he hurled the axe at one of the Minotaur's.

Despite its surprise at the incoming projectile, the beast managed to dodge from the axe's trajectory enough to avoid the killing blow. However, it was not enough to completely evade it, as the axe embedded itself in its shoulder. The force of the impact caused the injured beast to lose its balance and land with its knees to the ground.

The closest Minotaur only had a small respite to process what had just happened as it hesitated after witnessing yet another injured kin before it took a punch to the gut. The sheer strength packed into the blow momentarily lifted it off the ground, which also pushed him back. The Minotaur tried to grab his assailant out of reflex only to grab a handful of air. After sidestepping, he threw a hook punch at the beast's snout. The Minotaur's mind drew a blank, stunned by the strike while blood, spittle, and broken teeth flew from its mouth.

Taking advantage of his opponent being momentarily out of commission, the man turned to his back, facing the one with his axe lodge in his body. The monster was groggily standing up, its eyes unfocused. Quickly approaching the Minotaur, the man grabbed his axe and while supporting himself with one foot on the beast's chest, he dislodged his weapon.

The action made the Minotaur fall to his knees for the last time in its life. Without preamble, after making sure it would hit the desired spot, the man swung his axe at the beast. At first, when it hit its neck, there was a little resistance but soon enough it gave in as the axe mercilessly severed the bull's head from the rest of its body. Both lumps of flesh instantaneously burst into black smoke.

"HEEEAAAHH!"

Having recovered, the Minotaur from before aimed a punch at the man's head. Unfortunately for the beast, his opponent swiftly ducked under the sweeping arm, while also spinning around on his heel to cut off the monster's leg from above the knee.

Falling face first, the Minotaur howled as blood gushed from its stump. While trying to lift itself off the ground, its head was slammed back onto the ground by the man's foot. He ruthlessly stomped the head until he felt the cranium buckled under the pressure, the body then exploding into nothing.

He poised his axe in front of him as he faced the other three Minotaurs. He dashed towards the nearest one, catching it off guard and managed to cut the beast's chest. He landed two more slices before the Minotaur stumbled away, getting out of his reach.

"HEEAAH!"

A second Minotaur closed in and brought one of its arms up, stopping the axe at the cost of injuring the appendage, the blade sinking almost halfway its forearm.

The man frowned. He had moved out of reflex when he noticed the beast was too close for comfort. Consequentially, his move lacked the brute force to cut the limb in one go. He glanced at his side, founding the third monster already running towards him.

The beast's other arm shot forward, intending to grab the man's head but was stopped midway as a smaller hand met his, their fingers interlocking. The Minotaur snarled, putting more pressure in its grip, trying to crush the smaller hand.

The beast grimaced when it found itself being the one with the hand being crushed. The man's fingers slowly but steadily fractured the carpal bones in the beast's palm.

"Guh!"

With a fist buried in its abdomen, the man yanked him with the other arm while the fist hoisted the beast. He then threw it, along with his axe, at the first Minotaur.

He turned just in time to raise his arms and stop two fists diving at him. The moment the attack impacted the hastened guard, the two found themselves at a standoff. Neither budged an inch, the Minotaur's bloodthirsty glare being matched by the man's stony one.

"Gueeh.."

The axe wielder's eyes snapped in the direction of the weak whimper behind him. The other two monsters were already on their feet. The hooded man knew that the throw would only temporarily incapacitate them, but that was faster than he calculated. Also, there was something different in their expression. They still had their scowls, but they looked less menacing, less rage driven. When both injured Minotaur's eyed the one responsible for their state, they immediately turned the other way and bolted, wanting as much distance as possible from the man. The sound of their stomp was accompanied by the metallic one from the axe falling off the beast's arms, meters away from its wielder.

The man's frown deepened. If he allowed those two to get away, they would certainly catch up to that adventurer boy. Rendering everything he's done now useless. That was unacceptable.

He eyed the Minotaur in front of him, still exerting every ounce of his muscles, fixated on squashing the man. The beast shortly bared its teeth before snapping its jaw open.

"HEEAA-kuh!"

Its roar was abruptly cut off by a sudden headbutt. The Minotaur's arms dropped as it staggered a few steps back. Not done yet with his assault, the man pressed on by viciously hitting the monster with punches aimed at varied places, starting with its ribs, each hit striking like a hammer with a force that it rattled its bones.

After punishing the monster, he grabbed its horns and lifted it over his head, throwing it over his shoulder. The monster landed with its back against the ground. The man then stomped its chest and started pulling the head by the horns, occasionally punching its throat to break it faster. Soon the sound of flesh being tore and ripped apart, along with the beast's pain filled and panicked screams, echoed through the caverns as it tried to break the man's vice like grip to no avail.

Eventually, the flesh gave in, followed by the snapping sound of the beast's spine breaking. Its arms fell to its side while the head in the man's hand sported a hollow look with its jaw hanging open. Just like the others, it then turned into wisps of black.

Not wasting any time, the man outstretched his arm, with his hand open. His axe flew from where it rested, quickly crossing the distance and stopping within its owner's grasp.

He aimed the axe at the retreating back of the Minotaur's, specifically the one that stood slightly ahead of the other one as they retreated. This time, however, the intricate runes on the axe's head began to dimly glow and as soon as they did so, the man threw his weapon one more time.

The moment when the weapon hit the monster, it not only disrupted its pacing and put a halt to both monsters escape, but ice began to pour out of the wound. It covered the Minotaur's body in a layer thick enough to render it immobile, like a statue.

The remaining Minotaur eyes darted back and forth from the man to the frozen monster before shaking its head and faced the axe wielder. It lowered its upper body, getting down on all four limbs. As one of its hoofs rasped against the ground, it aimed its horns on the man's direction. It then charged at him.

He grunted at that. The monster at least managed to curb its cowardice and decided to face him head on. Was it out of desperation? Undoubtedly. Still, it saved him from the hassle of chasing it around the Dungeon, might as well count it as a small blessing.

The man briskly set off towards the monster. When the two were almost at arm's length, he cocked his left arm, exposing a golden gauntlet. From within the ornamented item, a mechanism sprung to life and its ends started expanding outwards and connected each other, forming a shield.

A metallic clack was the only cue the man required. He then rammed the shield on the Minotaur's head. The impact promptly foiled the beast's advance and due to the vastly superior force, the monster was knocked back. Its body traversed through the air before roughly landing.

Closing in on the frozen Minotaur, he lifted it with ease and hurled the statue at the other beast. Upon collision, the frozen Minotaur shattered killing it on the spot, while the other fell to its knees, disoriented from taking the brunt of the hit and from the shield bash.

Seizing the opportunity, the axe wielder picked up the pace and leaped towards the stunned monster. While in the air, he called back his axe to his hand. With a heave, he descended the weapon at the Minotaur.

The axe sunk in the monster's shoulder and cleaved through its body. The weapon brutally cut through the flesh, not even its bones were enough to deter the cleaving, not fully at least. It halted just below its chest, leaving one of its side hanging limply as blood gushed from the gap the blow formed. The monster wheezed in between coughs before fading from existence.

The man reached for the magic stone that was left in its wake, eying it critically. "This will do."

This stone alone should be more than enough to solve his monetary pendency with Mia. By its size, it might keep the dwarf's pockets happy for a few days.

"Guuuh(cough)."

Mildly curious, the man looked at yet another Minotaur. However, this one wasn't a newly arrived one. No, as the beast rested a hand in its chest, the axe wielder realized that he had forgotten the first of the monsters he had engaged. The one he had protected the boy from.

He growled. What a pathetic mistake, to not only leave unfinished business but to forget about it altogether. His period of idleness had somewhat dulled him, something that he would have rectify with haste.

Before he could vent his disappointment at himself on the monster, he caught sight of a blur from behind the monster. He relaxed his posture and rested his axe on the hook on the back of his clothes, underneath his cloak.

The moment the blur disappeared from his field of vision, the Minotaur flinched. As a trickle of blood trailed from its mouth, the sharp end of a thin blade pierced its chest. The beast's eyes slowly dipped to the protruding object just when the blade twisted, eliciting pained gasps before the Minotaur finally passed away.

As the curtain of black dwindled, the figure of the one responsible for finishing off the monster gradually became visible. A young woman there stood, with a sea of bright golden hair enveloping her and eyes of similar color that showed sharpness that contradicted her deadpanned expression. Her sword remained poised pointedly before her lithe body, which was covered in specific parts with armor. Not of the bulky type however, instead, it seemed to glue itself to her body, accentuating her womanly curves.

With a swipe, she cleaned her sword of the monster's blood before sheathing the blade at her waist. Her eyes then locked on him, widening only for a second as if finally taking notice of him. She eyed the pathway, giving it a once over before settling back on the man. She tilted her head to side, as if trying to understand something.

"A beard like Gareth's." She pondered. "A dwarf then?"

The man arched a brow. What kind of inane jump in logic was that?

"Freaking hell Ais, you just straight up left me behind! Not all of us are favored by the winds like to you to go from zero to a hundred in a heartbeat ya know?!" An annoyed voice called out

The sound of someone jogging echoed, as the person's pace steadily decreased, until the sound of a cadenced stride took its place.

"… We need to stop the Minotaurs." Ais said, her quiet tone complementing her stoic expression. Her gaze didn't stray from the axe wielder even when addressing her companion.

"You mean before some weakling bites the dust. Tch, wimps only cause trouble."

From behind Ais, a young man appeared. His annoyance earlier conveyed in his words was clear for everyone to see in his scowl. Unlike the blonde, her companion wasn't human, not fully. He had a sleek tail that wiggled accordingly to his steps and furry ears atop of his head that flicked at any stimuli. A Demi Human, a Werewolf at that. His laidback posture gave the axe wielder the impression that the werewolf was confident, possibly even arrogant, in his skills. He struck to be also one to boast, his choice of attire certainly allowed others to see the results of his efforts as the open jacket did little to hide his uncovered torso.

The man took a deep breath. Young, brash and cocky. A combination that he had no desire to neither be near of nor interact.

The Demi Human's eyes lingered on the man only for a second, snorting dismissively at him, and eying the surroundings in similar fashion to the blonde.

"Six stones huh." He whistled. "You did quick work of those cows."

"You're wrong Bete."

Bete's scowl receded. "Hm? Whaddaya mean?"

The axe wielder saw the werewolf shooting her a confused glance at her statement. Bete's eyes darted from Ais to him, the confusion seeping into the rest of his features. The silent question as to why the girl was staring at him was as evident as the werewolf's annoyance once was. Confusion turned into something different, something ugly, bitter and solely focused on him. It lasted only for a moment before his attention returned to the blonde but it was there. Jealousy.

A growl almost escaped from his lips. The last thing he needed was to be dragged into some foolish drama over such petty emotion.

"There are seven stones." Ais said, unaware of what had transpired. "He has one."

She pointed at the hand that held one of the accounted stones. Bete's eyes narrowed as they looked at where the girl pointed out, gears in his head turning to grasp what Ais words implied. Reaching an answer, one that apparently didn't pleased as his face scrunched up; he marched until he stood shoulder to shoulder with his companion.

"You telling me that _he_ was the one that took care of the cows that passed here?!"

The inflection when he referred to the axe wielder was evidence enough of his disbelieve. His renewed scowl made him look even more wolf like now that he was baring his sharp teeth.

Ais finally broke from her stare, turning to Bete. She showed no discomfort over the boy's tone, taking it in stride. "Yes, that's what I think. What else could it possibly be?"

Bete back paddled away from the blonde the moment he saw just how few inches separated his face from hers. Flustered and with his cheeks tinged red, he coughed in his hand, attempting to hide his embarrassment.

"W-well, maybe the twins got here first I don't know. I sure as hell don't think that- hey! Where do you think you're going?!"

Bete's shout halted the man, who had seen fit to leave as the two adventurers chatted. Clearly, the werewolf did not share the same opinion. As they both stared at his back, he cranked his head over his shoulder, his eye peeking from under the hood. The hardened orb made clear that he wasn't in any way pleased at being called out while it held an intense inquisitive gleam, demanding a reason for their action.

"We're not done here with you." Bete said

Ais blinked. They weren't? She didn't recall having any pendency's with the man. Maybe her curiosity over if he was dwarf or not could be considered…

"I have no business with either of you."

The adventurers were taken back by the clipped answer, though their reaction was far more attributed by the man's unexpectedly deep voice and its tone. The finality it carried, as if his word was the deciding factor surprised Ais; not just anybody had such confidence. To Bete, however, such assertiveness didn't sit well.

"Too bad, because you ain't going anywhere!" Bete snarled

The werewolf took a step forward, aiming to intimidate the other male. But he didn't cowered like most would. No, the man turned on his heel, standing up against him. He now regarded only Bete with both eyes, without an ounce of fear but rather, annoyance.

Bete's eye twitched. Just who did this bastard thought he was?!Acting as if he was above him, doesn't he know who he is?!

Before he could act, his companion stood in his way, blocking his view from the hooded man. "The Minotaurs."

Ais reminder cut through the werewolf's angry haze. He had unconsciously slipped into a posture more suited for fighting; his muscles now having more tension in them. His intentions were clear enough to even the blonde notice. Even if he didn't like it, it was his responsibility to catch those beasts. And he wasn't one to shrink away from his responsibilities, not even to a pissing contest.

His furry ears fell flat on his head. "My bad."

Though he said it through grinded teeth, Ais considered the matter settled as she then regarded the third person within the pathway, her golden eyes twinkling.

"Your equipment…" She trailed off. "How did you defeat them?"

Despite sidetracking just like Bete and risking looking like a hypocrite- though the werewolf would be the last person to point that out- the axe wielder could understand from where her curiosity stemmed. When pitching his gear against stronger monsters such as a Minotaur, doubts over the likeness of success would inevitably be brought up. Not only most of it was covered by his cloak, but what was in display would be appraised as an adventurer's starting gear.

"That does not concern you."

Bete glared at the dismissal. "What do you me-"

"It is not your place to question me when in the end my actions solved a parcel of _your_ mistake." The man retorted harshly

"HEEEAAHH"

From behind the axe wielder, a howl just like the ones from the Minotaur's he had faced echoed faintly. Meaning that from another pathway, the monsters had made their way to the upwards levels of the Dungeon.

The man eyed Ais. "You're wasting your time."

Ais wondered if he meant that with her questioning or the remaining Minotaur. However, even if not knowing left her a bit miffed, taking care of the beast took precedence. She nodded at him and blurred past him as fast as she could, hoping that no starting adventurer crossed its way.

"Wait, hold u- shit! Left behind again."

Bete walked past the axe wielder and sighed while running a hand through his messy hair. He shot the man a dirty look over his shoulder before picking up the pace and ran after Ais.

Once more alone, the man huffed before grabbing a spare small purse for the magical stones. Although he one was enough to obtain the amount of Valis he needed, it never hurts to have spare coin. Heavens know how erratic Mia's bar prices could be depending on her mood that could put even a travelling merchant to shame.

 **\\\**

"(sigh) What's going through that mind of yours Misha?"

The pink haired woman giggled, giving a knowing look. "Now now Eina, let's not pretend that didn't happen."

The half elf's emerald eyes meet her colleague's gaze for a moment. "Whatever you mean?"

"Don't be like that; you know that I'm talking about your latest newbie." Misha gushed. "Barely a few weeks with him and you already charmed him! You go girl!"

Eina adjusted her glasses, ignoring the muffled giggles and whistles elicited by her friend's comments. "Bell was simply showing his gratitude."

Misha hummed. "Quite passionately at that."

"You're reading too much into it."

The pink haired slouched on the reception counter, pouting. "It's not fair! You're hogging all the interesting newbies to yourself while leaving only the boring ones to me!"

Eina sweat dropped. Hearts would certainly shatter if Misha's adventurers hear their advisor labeling them so casually like that.

"You're even picking the cute ones too. I wonder if that face of his scored him his first girlfriend…" The pink haired muttered

"Misha, you know that we should stay away from adventurers personal affairs."

"So? He's still cute." The pinkette advisor shrugged. "Or you're going to tell me you think differently?"

"He's only fourteen." The half elf stated

"Yet I don't hear you denying it~." Misha teased further

"… Focus on your job."

The pink haired grinned victoriously. "Sure sure."

Eina's brow twitched. She better not think that it will end just like this.

Misha looked curiously as she moved half of her pile of documents to hers. "What are you doing?"

It took all of Eina's willpower not to outright laugh at the tremor in the pinkette's voice. "This stack is also part of your workload."

Misha's eyes widened. "B-but that was on your stack. You can't be serious."

Eina smiled coyly. "Now why would you think that? I assure you this is the truth. But if you're so adamant on contesting this, by all means, feel free to take it to the Guild Head. He is the one responsible for passing down our assignments."

"T-the Guild Head you say?"

Her smile grew. "Indeed. You know where his office is. Go on and interrupt his meeting."

And just like that, the stack disappeared of her hands. "No no it's fine! I trust you!"

"Wonderful." Eina grabbed a document of her pleasantly smaller stack.

At least most of the papers she passed only required a once over and a signature, not very far from what Misha was supposed to do anyways. Her colleague's grin turned into the very epitome of concentration. No more radiant smugness at her side. All was well in the world.

"Hey," The pink haired said after a while. "Shouldn't you help that guy there?"

Eina followed her friend's gaze and surely enough at building's entrance stood a hooded man. He seemed to be taking in the establishment's pristine inside. Or he was just lost, maybe both. With the hood on it was hard to tell.

"Maybe he's another newbie. He does look the part." Misha commented

While it was superficial to judge on appearance alone, through those entrance doors, all kinds of adventurers passed there. Working there for as long as she had, one would inevitably learn to make a quick assessment that had more successes than fails. Yet, with this one, Eina wasn't so sure she agreed with her friend. Sure, his equipment screamed beginner at her, but the man's body language didn't match. Beginners were always meek in their first time there, even the more robust would be stunned and unsure at what to do. The man wasn't doing anything, but he didn't seem lost to her. A lot of telltale signs were missing, the half elf didn't know what to think of the figure.

Eina turned to her friend "Why do you want me to go there?"

"Well, everyone else is busy," One sweeping glance and Eina saw it was true. "And I won't be going anywhere for a looong time."

As Misha declared that she gestured to the documents before her.

Eina deadpanned at her. True, the documents needed to be taken care but none was of urgent matter. Even then that wouldn't be enough to stop the pinkette at jumping at the chance of escaping paperwork.

"… Plus he looks like a real pain to deal with." There it was, the real reason

Eina sighed. While she wouldn't have worded it like that, the man did strike her as well as one that was hard to deal with. Alas, work was work.

"Fine, I'll go."She heard Misha bidding her good luck as she stalked past the reception counter.

The closer she got, more she was able to notice that his clothing was worn out of continuous attrition, not unlike an adventurer's armor. It only further distanced the notion that he was a beginner. He either was very absorbed in looking around or was pointedly ignoring her approaching him.

"Welcome to the Guild's main branch. Can I help you with anything?"

Eina greeted with as much politeness as she could muster, together with a small smile as part of the course. A small movement within the hood allowed her to know that she had his attention, only for the man's face return to its previous position.

Perhaps he's just shy and all that she had observed until now was false bravado? She gently widened her smile, patiently waiting for him to speak his mind. When the man's beard parted, she scooted closer just in case he spoke too softly.

"No." He then walked past her

…

Eina blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

Eh? Where's that softness she expected? Maybe even a small stutter?! The callousness that his voice carried could physically cut her if he had said anything longer! And what he said! Never in her five years working in the Guild had she received such a dry dismissal! She _had_ considered that he could be rough around the edges… but still! This was too much!

As the half elf recovered from the shock of this short lived interaction, she absentmindedly heard someone calling her name. Slowly, she turned to see Misha frantically waving her arms, pointing at something as if her life depended on it. She looked at her friend's source of distress. She was gesturing again to the- rather rude- man. Okay, though she didn't understood why sh-

Eina's eye grew to the size of saucers.

Oh no. He wasn't going to the exchange area or the meeting boxes to meet with his advisor. No, he was heading in the opposite direction, to the Guild Head's office, where a high profile meeting was happening. One that left no room for interruptions.

Eina bolted towards the hooded man. "Wait a moment sir! Do you even know what's in that direction?"

The man continued his stride. "Yes."

"And you have some sort of business there?" She inquired

"Yes."

Eina's brow twitched violently. "... Is this all you're willing to tell me?"

"Yes." Without missing a beat

Eina wanted to pull her hair. How infuriating could one person be! This man's answers may very well be the end of her!

If talking alone wouldn't do the trick then she would have to take a more proactive approach. She jumped in front of him, with the palm of her hands facing him, urging him to stop. Though Eina was determined to not let him advance any further, her conviction wasn't enough to prevent the a chill from crawling down her spine when she stared at the anger flooding inside the man's eyes that bore down at her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

For the first time, the half elf wished that the man had stuck with only saying monosyllabic sentences. He had intoned each word thick with the emotion he displayed in his amber orbs. Words escaped her; afraid of saying something that might break the dawn inside him.

She was saved from this delicate situation when a door flew open, its hinges screaming in protest and threatening to break. The door from the very room the man marched towards moments ago.

"Hehehaha you always manage to brighten my day Fatso!"

A raspy voice boasted from inside the office. Its owner immediately stepped outside the room, revealing a burly man. His voice was rich with the accent common to the northern lands; his birthplace had also influenced his outfit. In his shoulders rested an animal's pelt, his chest was only covered by tattoos. The armor that covered him from the waist down and both arms was visibly composed of only some of the best metals. If that wasn't enough to draw attention to him, he possessed an aura that not only grabbed one's attention and also made clear that its owner wasn't a nobody.

"I'm happy to be of service. Before you go Modi-sama, there was that situation of your account to be discussed and the details from the transaction…" The Guild Head's voice came from the office

"Bah! I'll leave these boring things to you, that's why I pay you extra for!" Modi guffawed. "I'll send the information later. Just be sure to make my Valis grow!"

With that said, he stalked away and passed through the Guild's halls, his gait exuding pure arrogance as he lavished on the attention the other Guild employees and adventurers were giving him.

"Is it your first time seeing a demigod?" Eina said tentatively

She had noticed that the hooded man had all but forgotten her in favor of staring the other bearded man as he crossed the Guild's entrance. Not seeing that frighten anger anymore, she tried again her luck at conversing with him.

"Which one is he?"

Eina blinked. Odd wording, but she wouldn't complain. While his demanding tone was still there, she would pick curiosity over the other more volatile emotion any time of the day.

"He's the son of Thor and Sif, said to be the strongest member of the god's familia. He's a level four adventurer but due to the godly nature within him, his true abilities and strength are well above that number."

Guild employees shouldn't speak so freely about adventurer's stats, but this particular case this restriction was unwarranted. It was common knowledge that demigods were a force to be reckoned with even as level one adventurer, though the degree varied accordingly to whom his parent deity was. Plus, Modi didn't exactly tried to hide his achievements, so Eina felt no guilty whatsoever.

"Despite him being only half god, it still amazes me how strong the resemblance between his aura and a god's divinity is. However, contrary to the norm Modi isn't affiliated with his father. Rather he's-"

"Enough. I did not ask to hear his life story."

The half elf was baffled at the abrupt interruption, although she really shouldn't. By now his dismissive attitude was his defining trait. If anything, she should be worried if he starts treating her with politeness.

Blinking, Eina noticed that while lost in her musings the man had reached his intended destination. When she looked inside the office, the hooded man stood with his back turned to her and the Guild Head, Royman Mardeel, eyeing him. Displeasure flashed in his features for a second before he composed himself back into a stoic mask, only then he noticed the advisor at his door.

"Hmm, what's this? Where you unable to help this gentleman in whatever matter he sought you for assistance Eina?"

She bit the inside of her cheek. He had said it as if merely asking for a confirmation, like there was no other possible reason. The small elf's good mood from the morning was already gone, not even after a pleasant meeting with his most valued adventurer- and he made sure to flaunt to the world when he became Modi's advisor- was enough to avoid him falling back into his customary condescending attitude.

Royman sighed exaggeratedly, expressing disappointment. "What am I to do with you?"

 _You trash._

Eina stared at the floor. With the exception of gods and goddesses, one was bound to be look down by Royman but with her, he would go an extra mile due to the unchangeable fact of her being an half elf. Thankfully, instances like this were far and between since she rarely gave him any chances to single her out.

Her savior came in the unexpected form of the hooded man, who was tired of being sidelined. "Tell me where the Guild Head is Elf."

Beady eyes shifted to the hooded man, not one bit entertained by either the demand or the tone used. Though his detestable personality aside, no one could say that Royman wasn't dedicated to his profession. So his expression remained composed and his tone, civil at least.

"Why, you're looking at him." He stated with a satisfied grin

Eina held in the urge to roll her eyes. It was no secret among Guild employees how much the fat man coveted the Guild Head position.

"I do not have time for games Elf. I have business to discuss with the Guild Head."

While Royman looked affronted, Eina eyed the man curiously. Did he know?

"I assure you that I'm the one-"

"Spare me of your lies to satisfy your ego. He would rather turn to celibacy than allow you to have his position here. So I'll ask again, where is he?"

Never before had Eina felt such strong need to laugh. She did not know who this man was, but there was no denying he definitely knew who he was quoting, albeit less crude. Seeing Royman's face flushed red of embarrassment was a view of a lifetime that she was sure would never cease to amuse her. The fact that the hooded man said such an absurd thing as seriously as he did was just icing on the cake.

"He's away from Orario on a Guild's errand. He should be back only by the time the Monster Feria begins." Royman's composure was almost nonexistent; his civil tone replaced by a clipped one

The man grunted, not happy with the answer. Without a word, he turned and stalked to the door.

"Wait! I assure that I'm more than capable of resolving -"

"Then there is nothing for me here." The man cut Royman off, not interested in his offer

The elf frowned. " _I_ am the Guild Head, you have to-"

The man's head snapped back to the elf, glaring at him. "You're just a mere substitute. Do not overestimate yourself."

The elf averted his gaze, unable to match and bear the other male's glare. Seeing the fat man successfully cowered, the hooded one left the office.

Never in her wildest dreams had Eina thought that she would see someone so bluntly put down her superior. The proud elf felt defeated to the point that he had forgotten that he wasn't alone in the office, or he simply didn't care.

She left quietly, not wanting to draw Royman's attention. As she returned to the reception counter, her mind was filled with questions revolving the same subject. Whoever that man was he was a big question mark. If he knew the Guild Head, chances were he had other big figures as acquaintances, but aside from that she knew virtually nothing about him. An enigma.

Eina bit her lip. Was it worth dinging around to try and find something about Orario's latest mystery?

The saying "curiosity killed the cat" ringed true in Orario, quite literally.

 **\\\**

"Oho, look whose back. Had a profitable day?" Mia greeted

It was close to nighttime, so the Hostess of Fertility was beginning to fill up with its trusty clientele. Unlikely during the day, the pub was filled with loud chattering, sometimes shouting customers, with the choice of conversation raging from the hardships of the daily life of an adventurer, how the price exchange in the Guild was raised to more trivial subjects such as a booty that had caught their fancy.

"Hn." The man replied

Just like the other time he was there, the man dropped in the counter another purse with Valis, thought this one was far more bountiful. Much to Mia's glee.

The dwarf merrily snatched the purse and peeked inside of it. "That's a lot of Valis, like way more than what you needed. Expecting to have a prolonged stay?"

He could see the twinkle in her eyes when she posed the question. As much as he wanted to disagree with the brown-haired woman, he was stuck in Orario for the time being. He frowned out of vexation but nodded, conceding the point.

"Well, you won't hear me complaining about this news."

The Babel Tower would first pierce the sun than Mia Grand complains about earning more Valis.

The man took a moment to collect his thoughts. When he entered this wretched city, he wasn't counting on the day ending with more questions than answers. The Monster Feria, tomorrow he would have to find out how far away the event was. And that boy…

"Here."

*THUD*

Before him Mia left a large mug of ale. He looked at her smirking expression. "You looked like you needed one, helps when you got a lot in your head. Or so every customer here says."

That sounded an awfully like what a drunkard would declare in his defense.

"Come on, it'll do you some good. It's not like that pouch of yours can't cover it." She insisted

Seeing no harm in indulging the dwarf, the man sat in one of the stools and took a sip of the mug.

He grunted. Cheap stuff, probably sold well due to its low price. Nevertheless, he chugged down the ale.

Mia grinned as she watched him. "Can't resist a cold one, just like any other man. I'll whip up something fill you and accompany your next mug."

The man froze. He stopped drinking just when the mug had left about a finger of ale. He looked at the bottom of mug with a faraway look.

Just like any other man.

"If only that was true."

* * *

 **A/N: Dad of BOI is back! I have to say that I'm overwhelmed at the response the first chapter got, it quickly became the most reviewed first chapter I've posted so far on this site and one of my most reviewed stories altogether. So for that, thank you, you guys are honestly the best.**

 **I'm happy that so many of you folks found the premise interesting, so I'll try my best to make this a worthwhile read. There were a lot of questions regarding how Kratos would react to the gods of Orario, where was the BOI, how these two fandoms will tie in and so on. In short, questions with very spoilerish answers. I'll have to ask you guys to bear it with me for now, as things will be slowly explained. Still, questions in general are more than welcome.**

 **Crossovernaru was kind enough to take up the mantle of beta reader for this chapter, so if this chapter's flows is better than the last, you know who's responsible for this XD. If not, then you can fault me, even miracles have their limits.**

 **Lastly, I'm sorry that this chapter took as long as did. I tried to avoid making you all wait but college finals had no compunctions about hogging all my time. It's been a while since I wrote a fight scene, and they were never my forte, but I hope I managed to properly convey what was going on and that it felt as brutal as Kratos is on his games. I hope this chapter makes the waiting worth it and that you all enjoy it in its entirety. If possible, consider leaving a review and I'll see you on the next one. Have a great day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from God Of War or Dungeon Ni Deai**

* * *

Making sure that the straps of his backpack had everything he needed for the day and that his chest plate was well adjusted, Bell made his way to the staircase that would lead to the upper level of the abandoned church. Just as he stepped on the aged wood as slowly as possible to lessen the creaking noise, he spared one last glance over his shoulder.

The basement could be considered an odd place to live in, and it certainly wasn't luxurious and despite its default function, it was cramped for a living quarter. Not to mention lacking in some aspects. Yet, even with those faults, Bell had no shame in calling the place his home. And that was thanks to the other dweller within the confined place.

With a soft smile, the boy watched as a small body writhed under the sheets of the bed, mumbling while she slept. Knowing how strenuous her afternoon would be at her job, Bell didn't have the heart to wake her up.

"I'm off to the Dungeon, Kami-sama." He whispered

With his new dream in mind, he set off for a new day of exploring.

 **(…)**

Amber eyes snapped open. Just as abruptly, he shot up from his bed and quickly looked at his arms. As a bead of sweat trickled down his pale skin, he stared intently at his trembling appendages with ragged breathing. After a moment, the man closed his eyes and slowly but steadily inhaled to recollect himself.

 _Bloodcurdling screams disrupted the tranquility of the night as the flames licked all that was within its reach, slowly but steadily consuming everything. The scene before him was fitting to describe Hell._

It was all in his head, he wasn't there any longer.

 _He walked past a sea of blood and bodies, his ashen skin now drenched in blood, complemented the marks on his body. He paid them no mind, what only mattered was what he carried. Only his screams now could be heard._

Don't dwell on it. that was all in the past. Whereit should remain; buried.

Focusing on that, he willed all these intruding memories to the darkest corner of his mind, putting it behind seven locks. As the internal turmoil faded and his breathing regulated, silence took over. It was like a cemetery, void of any sound or life, but that was how he preferred things compared to the previous state.

His peace fell apart when a throbbing pain made itself know. The man's eyes shone in the barely lit room, eyeing his still trembling arms. Before lying in the bed, he had removed the leather garment that acted as his bracers, revealing bandages. They were old to the point that a shade of yellow spread throughout its length with smudges of dry blood.

As if noticing the man's gaze, the pain grew in intensity. The searing sensation radiated like it was melting his skin all the way to his bones. While the man reeled in his turmoil, one of the old cloth strips had fallen from its place, hanging loosely from his arm.

He took a sharp intake of breath at what the strip revealed to him, the sight holding him hostage; the sight of his point of no return. The faint sounds of chains rasping against each other echoed in his head.

After staring intently for longer than he wished, he clenched his fists and concentrated on the trembling. When the appendages regain their stability, he slowly raised his arm and grabbed the strip. The man mechanically rolled the bandage on his arm until he was sure the same thing wouldn't happen again.

He reached for his axe that rested at the side of his bed. He held the axe close to his chest and his hands firmly grasped the handle as a sense of calmness washed over him, relaxing him as much as possible. A lullaby from long ago caressed him, the searing feeling gradually losing its strength.

"Forgive me…" He muttered, tightening his grip on the axe

He allowed himself to indulge on the croon for a bit longer before getting on his feet and putting on what little of his gear he had cast aside to sleep. Donning his cloak lastly, he crossed the small but above average room.

The only source of light there was the lamp on the stand besides the bed, so he had no way of knowing if it was still night or not due to the lack of window. However, after what had transpired it would make no difference what time it was. Rest would not come to him, might as well do something productive instead of sitting idly in his bed. Lest risking his burden pounce at the opportunity again.

The purse on the back of his waist felt heavier than ever.

 **\\\**

The Kobold charged at him; swinging its arm in wide arc trying to claw away at him. Bell sidestepped and dogged with a hair's breath. Ruby eyes followed the lanky monster's disjointed movements, noticing that its back was exposed.

There it was; his chance! The monster was vulnerable. Grinning to himself, he leaned in for the attack.

"Kraah!"

Only to be foiled by another Kobold that slashed his arm when it was outside the adventurer's field of vision. Almost tripping on his own feet when he recoiled from the scratch, Bell stumbled away from the monsters.

He grimaced. Was there really another Kobold left? He was pretty sure he had narrowed the group down to one. Eina would surely chide him about his awareness. That mishap might even have earned him getting his ear pulled. Yay…

He quickly glanced at his arm, where the monster had struck him. Fortunately, it was a shallow enough that it barely grazed him; his beige jacket and black shirt took the brunt of the hit. His vitality wouldn't be getting a lot of points today by the look of things though.

Readjusting his grip on his dagger, he readied himself. The Kobold that surprised him lunged at him, baring its fangs and with its claws poised close at its side.

Bell ducked under the monster, avoiding all its pointy ends- blessed be his highly improved agility stat- and delivered a swift cut to the Kobold's side. The pain caused the monster to flail in the air before it crashed onto the ground.

The other kobold tried to copy its kin by pouncing at the boy as far from his line of sight as possible. Bell, being this time mindful of both monsters movements, turned to face his attacker and got out of the range of the beast's swipe by falling backwards. Though not before counterattacking with his dagger.

Blood trickled from the monster's muzzle as it jerked back its head. With the support of his free hand, Bell rolled the moment he touched the ground. Pulling himself into a crouching position, he tensed his legs before darting towards the kobold and with both hands on the blade's grip, he pierced its chest. With a whimper, the monster imploded.

Not even having a chance of catching his breath, two hands clamped on Bell's shoulders. Eyeing the preying limbs, he saw the claws dug themselves onto his jacket, reinforcing its hold on the boy. With a snarl, the remaining kobold wrenched him, causing him to hit the ground.

Paying no mind to the pain that flared from his back, Bell hurriedly held his dagger in front of him, fearing a follow up attack. Barely a second passed when his arm withstood the impact of the kobold's move, the clash between its claws and the blade creating a resounding clang. As the monster exerted itself in hopes of pushing back the dagger, Bell knocked it away by kicking it in its chest.

Scrambling to his feet, the boy advanced towards the unbalanced kobold. The monster threw its arm in a sweeping motion to keep him at bay, but Bell, light on his feet as he was, leaped over it and landed a hit on the back of its neck. It fell limply afterwards.

"(sigh) That was a close one." Bell commented between breathes

After making sure that no more monsters were lurking nearby, he allowed himself to relax and enjoy the respite as he collected the stones left behind, humming a happy tune as picked one by one. Having finished the menial task, he stretched himself before venturing further into the Dungeon.

 **(…)**

"I should be to repair my equipment- but dinner's priority- I can't always count on Kami-sama being able to bring back spares from her work…" Bell muttered

As he navigated through the corridor, the current tranquil gave way to Bell's worldly concerns to pester his mind.

"I still have a potion that Miach-sama gave me, so it should be fine fo-"

"GHAA!"

Bell's worries vanished at the sound of the shrill scream; with his weapon already in hand he dropped into a guarded stance. However, instead of being met with any sort of infringement to his well being, a kobold appeared, skidding on the rough floor. Instead of jumping at the downed beast, he faltered after his first step when he noticed the trail of blood that the beast had left in its wake.

The beast wasn't giving any indication of it wanting to get on its paws; rather it was just laying there taking sharp and painful breaths. The reason for such was glaringly obvious, in its chest there was a huge gash, descending from its shoulder all the way to its ribs on its opposite side. Whatever strength it had left after such devastating blow was quickly being depleted along with the flowing blood. Not long after it bled out.

Bell was barely able to take in what had just happened when another commotion ahead of him grabbed his attention. His eyes landed on a small pack of kobolds maneuvering as best as it could as they could to fight a single adventu…!

The boy almost lost his grip on the handle. He couldn't be really sure due to the distance and poor lightening of the Dungeon, but the visage of that adventurer's back seemed awfully familiar to Bell.

"Is it really him?" He wondered

As if intending to quench that doubt, one of the kobolds ran at his enemy. In response, the man brandished his axe and with one fell swoop, the monster was dealt with, its corpse landing further away from where it previously stood.

With wide eyes, Bell watched the faint blue glow emanating from the weapon. It really was the adventurer that saved him! There was no mistaking it, with the axe in hand it was as if his memory from he ran away the other day had been brought to reality. The same imposing visage that had stood between Bell and the minotaurs.

The remaining monsters all jumped from all sides at the man, showing their animosity with their snarls and bared claws. Bell could safely say from experience that such situation could fell overwhelming. He still had some small scar lines that he had earned thanks for him having frozen on the spot the first time it happened.

Yet, as the boy witnessed the man cleaving the kobolds left and right with each swing matching the speed of the incoming monsters, he started to wonder if maybe the pack wasn't just making it easier for him. At each swing, one or two kobolds met their demise.

An immovable obstacle-no, it border on the unsurpassable. To Bell, it felt only right to call it that if he survived yesterday's ordeal.

As the black smoke filled the pathway, one of the remaining kobolds used it to conceal itself long enough to get the drop on the adventurer. It maneuvered itself away from the deadly axe and jumped at the man, only for its attempt to be foiled by a hand that shot towards the beast the moment it revealed itself. With a vice grip, the beast was held effortlessly in the air by the neck.

As the beast futilely clawed at the bracer to get away, without turning, the man threw his axe into the black mist. A wet, gasping sound echoed, followed by the loud thump of a body collapsing. A sickening crunch caused the other suspended monster to stop struggling.

The popping sound of the monster's bodies jerked Bell back to reality. He blinked once, then twice before gaping in awe at the display of skill that took place in front of his eyes. Whereas it would have taken several minutes for the boy to kill every last one of the kobolds, it only took seconds, a minute at most, to the man to do the same.

Bell bit his lower lip. What he had just witnessed served as a reminder of the long road he had ahead of him to properly support his goddess and himself. To reach the same foothold that s _he_ stood. He shook his head and smiled. Aspirations and goals aside, this was the perfect opportunity for him to thank the other adventurer for saving him!

The boy moved slowly towards the man, who was now focused on getting the magic stones he had earned. A small voice kept ringing in the back of Bell's mind that this silent approach was far from being ideal, but that voice was drowned by the caution he felt when watching the man. He felt as if it might not bode well for him to make any sudden movements.

He stopped at what seemed a healthy distance and- mustering every ounce of courage he had- called the adventurer. "Excuse m-"

The rest of his sentence died in his throat as in the blink on an eye the very sharp end of an axe almost became acquainted with the boy's face. Bell's countenance quickly became the same color as his hair while his courage shattered like glass and his mind tried to caught up to this rather dire turn of events.

Just how fast did the man turned? And did the axe just flow by itself? Did he mention just how sharp the axe looked up-close?

Fortunately, the weapon was soon lowered and Bell exhaled in relief. Still, he flinched at the penetrating glare that he could feel from inside the hood.

"You again." He growled

Yep. Definitely irritated at him.

"Are you that eager to embrace death boy?"Bell flinched. In retrospect perhaps the quiet approach was far worse than the alternative.

Bell didn't have time to answer, as the man decided to end there the one-sided talk and turned his back to him. He hooked his axe in his back resumed collecting he stones.

"Ehehehe s-sorry, I didn't mean to scare yo- not that I did! I just, you know, um, sorry!" The boy said awkwardly

His grandfather in the past had tried to teach him many things that were undoubtedly inadequate and questionable to a young child, even Bell knew that. Teaching him, however, the importance of when to thank or apologize to someone was one of the more laudable ones he had managed to instill.

The man paid him no mind, ignoring the boy's rambling. Though it didn't come as a surprise such response, the boy still felt a bit miffed. Nevertheless, he trudged on.

"I-I wanted to thank you." The man paid him no mind and continued on with his task

"About yesterday, y-you know." The sound of magical stones hitting one another as they fell on the man's pouch was the only reply he got

Grabbing the hem of his jacket, Bell stopped himself before saying anything else. He couldn't hold back here, uttering half assed gratitude won't get him anywhere.

"I really thought I was done. When the minotaur raised its fist. I thought I would die there full of regrets, that I would abandon the people I care about and would make them sad."

He felt the prickle in the corner of his eyes. He recalled the fear he felt, not only for his life but the solitude he would leave his Kami-sama in that quiet church. How badly it would affect Eina who continuously fretted over him, advising him as best as she could. He shut his eyes to avoid it spilling over.

"S-so thank you so much for saving me!" He only realized that he was shouting by the time he finished

Bell felt as if he ran a marathon; he was completely out of breath. But there was no denying that he also felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted off his chest. However, with that emotional baggage and self imposed obligation out of the way, he felt embarrassment creep in as the silence stretched.

Had he said too much and overstepped his boundaries? The man wasn't exactly friendly with him. Would he laugh at him? Was him even capable of that? Bell fought the urge to fidget, this was too unnerving!

The boy slowly opened one of his eyes, risking a glance at the adventurer. The man was crouched with his back facing him. As Bell's eye kept wandering, he stilled when his gaze met the man's, who watched from over his shoulder. He instantly looked away, the compulsion to look at anywhere else taking hold of him.

When no rebuke of any form came his way, Bell's gaze strayed back to the hooded man. The greenish illumination of the Dungeon glistened on his outlines and while the hood still did its intended job, the faint light did showed some of his face. Aside from the beard and the sculpted nose, the feature that caught Bell's attention was the eye.

Though it was not the first time he had seen it, this time it felt different. It wasn't that unflinching stony glare that the boy saw. No, the eye seemed somewhat softer as it stared at him.

Curiosity. Though small, it was there. And it was aimed at him.

Bell was lost. What could he possibly have done to make someone like _him_ interested in a nobody like him? Yet, even while confuse, he felt happy of getting that out of a person who had been indifferent to him up to this point.

He must have been showing his thoughts outwardly, as that small spark in the man's eyes was snuffed out, returning to its glassy state. He then turned back and got on his feet, stalking towards the remaining stones left around.

Bell blinked. He didn't receive any answer to what he had blurted out. But there was no anger or annoyance this time either. So far that seemed to be the man's default reaction to anything he did. Had he somehow just managed to interact with the axe wielder and not screw up?

He felt a smile pulling his lips. In the end he was ignored but it didn't mattered. He took a step forward.

"I was watching you fighting just now. I never had seen someone kill a whole pack that fast!"

He didn't know what compelled him to talk, and he was pretty sure that a part of his head was going crazy raising red flags to stop, that this was a terrible idea.

As he expected, the man carried on as if nothing happened. A small voice told Bell that he should stop before he irked the man, but he didn't wanted to.

"I hope to one day be able to handle monsters like you did." Bell sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm just starting as an adventurer, so there's probably a lot of things that I have to learn and-"

"Your footwork is horrible and your situational awareness might be even worse." The man said. Having gathered all the remaining stones, he walked to the opposite end of where the boy stood, intending on further exploring the Dungeon.

Surprised that he got an answer and flustered at being brutally pointed out his flaws, Bell's eyes snapped to his feet with his cheeks beet red. "Y-yeah, I'm still trying to pick up the basics."

For a while a lull had settled in, only broken by the sound of the footsteps. "Stop merely reacting to what happens around you. You have a head, use it."

"Eh?" Was the eloquent reply the boy came up with

"Stop attempting to land attacks carelessly. You look as desperate as a vagrant with a piece of bread. It's unsightly." Even as the distance between the two grew, when the man spoke his tone was just as powerful as if he hadn't moved away at all.

Bell's face was the textbook definition of shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Underneath all the cutting marks thrown at him, laden with indifference, there was advice. The man that had saved him was giving him advice on how to be a better adventurer, as brutally honest as it may have been.

A full-blown smile spread in a blink of eyes, the boy's face positively beaming. He bowed his face almost at his knee's level. "Thank you so much! I-I'll be sure to remember this things!"

When he looked up again, he was alone. The man didn't even wait for him to say anything. But it was fine, he was perfectly content with how his leap of faith ended.

 **\\\**

The man marched onward the deeper levels of the Dungeon. Axe in hand, ready for any monster that might creep out of the walls.

Brutal and unforgiving. Those are the words that can surmise the world as it really is. However, to every rule there's an exception. He had found innocence and kindness a few times in his lifetime. Some lasted more than he expected. Others ended far sooner than they should have.

He scowled. Abandon this train of thought. It will do no good dwell in a past life.

And yet, on the place where the dreams of many are hopelessly crushed by the world's reality, he had found another exception. Small and fidgety, his complexion often as pale as his hair, that boy exuded those characteristics. It still eluded him why he had stepped up to help him. The boy was weak and clearly unprepared for the dangers that lurked in the dark corners of the Dungeon. He spoke shyly and was quick to spill apologies, which grated the man immensely.

But even with all that, the boy had found courage to speak to him, when it was obvious how intimidated he felt by him. Furthermore, his words sounded so sincere that the man could only stare at him, as if he were something foreign. So despite all the misgivings he had about the boy, the man begrudgingly gave him some clues to better himself.

The man stared at his axe melancholically. How long had it been since he had seen something so genuine? How long had it been since he had last seen-

He shook his head. "Focus on what's ahead of you."

After reprimanding himself, he forbade anything related with the boy from his mind. Hopefully this would be the last he'd seen from him.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm finally back! I'm very sorry for being away for so long, but life in general just got more taxing than ever to me. Back to the chapter, I think that one of the highlights of this one is that small peek at Kratos past. That scene was really fun to write down and I hope it is as good to you folks as it looked to me. The other highlight is that small interaction between Bell and Kratos. This one was another reason why this chapter took a bit longer to be done. It was that situation where I had the idea in mind but the right words never came when I tried writing it down and I wanted to keep them in character as much as possible while making it an interesting scene. There were two fight scenes in here, I kept in mind what you readers commented on the reviews about last chapter's fight, so here's hoping the ones in here are better.**

 **Crossovernaru once again is at the helm of beta reading the chapter. He'll be sure to keep a keen eye out for any typos and other aberrations that might be lurking around.**

 **Once again, I'm sorry for long wait. It sucks having long periods in between chapters but I was unable to fit in time to write. I want to thank you all for fav/follo the story and, of course, reviewing it. Ghost Of Orario quickly became my most reviewed story and that was only in the spawn of 2 chapters. You guys really are the greatest.**

 **Hope you guys liked the chapter, if possible do consider leaving a review. I'll see you all on the next one, sooner rather than later hopefully. Have a great day.**


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